Sen. Hune comments on Gov. Snyder’s State of the State address

LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Joe Hune, R-Fowlerville, issued the following statement Tuesday night after Gov. Rick Snyder delivered his final State of the State address as governor of Michigan.

“It was a pleasure to attend Governor Snyder’s final state of the state address,” Hune said. “The governor delivered an inspirational speech that highlighted the great turnaround that Michigan has made in the last seven years.

“Michigan’s economic rebound is an inspiring story that demonstrates the power of responsible fiscal policy and a business-friendly orientation to lawmaking. The governor noted that we’ve created more than 540,000 new jobs and that our unemployment is at near record lows. He also pointed out that personal income growth is among the highest in the country, home values are surging and Michigan’s population is once again growing.

“While we still face many challenges, the Republican leadership during Governor Snyder’s tenure has enabled a truly remarkable period of economic flourishing for Michigan.”

Hune also said he was glad to hear the governor talk about addressing unfunded liabilities.

“These out-of-control liabilities were created by bad policy in the first place, and I’m glad that we were able to fix this mess so that future generations don’t have to pay for our mistakes,” Hune said. “There’s still more that we could be doing to improve accountability and responsible spending, and I intend to keep pressing for those issues in 2018.

“I wish the governor would have talked more about how we are working to lower taxes for Michiganders through the personal exemption and income tax reform. President Donald Trump and Congress gave Americans a historic tax break with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and now it’s up to the states to follow suit and bring tax relief at the state level as well. This is something that I will continue to support in 2018.

“I am proud to have worked with Governor Snyder on many pieces of important legislation in his seven years as governor, and I look forward to working with him on many more throughout the year.”